Wildlife Park - Tours

Many of the groups that come to our classroom for educational programs at The Creature Conservancy also enjoy walking around and looking at the animals on display. This experience can be enhanced by arranging a guided tour by one of our docents or a member of our educational staff. These guided tours can be taken by a single individual, family groups or small classes of students.

During “walk abouts”, guests will not only learn about the species in front of them, but also about the individual animal’s personality, likes, dislikes and often the story of how it came to reside at the conservancy. In many cases, our staff will be giving this information from within an animal’s enclosure.

For an even more unique experience, “behind the scenes” tours can be arranged for individuals, couples or very small family groups. These tours will take you into the non-public areas and give you a chance to see animals that are not on display. Feeding opportunities, hands-on interaction and picture taking are allowed with some animals during these private tours.

To find out more about taking a tour at The Creature Conservancy, please read the FAQs below and enjoy the pictures of the individual animals on the gallery page.

Tours at The Conservancy FAQs:

What's the best time to take a tour? Although a few animals can be see year round, many more animals are on display from late spring until early fall. Midday tours are fine in moderate weather; during hot weather, most animals are better viewed in the mornings. By evening, many of the animals are taken off display and returned to their nighttime quarters. Fewer animals are on display Saturday afternoons (after about 2pm) and Sundays, even during nice weather.

What is the cost of a tour? Self-guided tours are FREE, but we ask that you consider contributing to the cost of animal care by leaving a donation in one of the donation boxes around the campus. There are fees for guided tours of the animals on display, and for private "behind the scenes" tours. Please read further for more details and submit an inquiry using the Tour Guide button below.

Do I have to schedule a "free" tour? Sometimes: we do not require individuals and families to schedule a free self-guided tour, but we do require other groups (scouts, seniors, daycares, etc) to let us know when they plan to be on site. Because we often have bus loads of kids here on pre-arranged tours, there are days when we cannot easily accommodate other groups taking self-guided tours. Please use the Tour Guide button below to let us know when you would like to bring your group here.

What is the cost of a guided "Walk About" and/or "Behind the Scenes" tour? This can vary from just a couple of dollars per head when combined with a classroom program to a more significant amount for an extensive private tour. Please let us know what you have in mind by giving us some information using the Tour Guide button at the bottom of this page. We'll get back with you shortly to let you know what kind of experience we can create for you and the fee involved.

When can I take a guided tour (either "Walk About" or "Behind the Scenes")? These tours are subject to staff availability, but given enough notice, they can generally be arranged at times that are convenient for you. Although parts of these tours will be indoors (unlike self-guided tours), they are still best when taken from late spring until early fall.

What will we get to see if we schedule a guided tour? On a "Walk About" during good weather in the warmer months, you can expect to see assorted macaws, black vultures, turkey vultures, barking deer, emu, black swans, Arctic fox, owls, peafowl, giant tortoises, cravens, dwarf caiman, and assorted barnyard animals. A "Behind the Scenes" tour will let you see those animals plus several more, including porcupines, kangaroos, bats, wallabies, an alligator, kookaburras, armadillos, a skunk, prairie dogs and a variety of other reptiles and amphibians.

Note: We are constantly adapting our facilities to improve conditions for our current animals or accommodating unexpected rescues. This frequent state of flux means that we can’t always predict what can or will be seen on a particular tour or promise access to all areas. Also, some animals may not be on display because they are being used for a presentation in our classroom, or because they are off site at an event. Breeding seasons, skin shedding, weather, enclosure cleaning and routine veterinary care are other reasons you may occasionally not be able to see expected animals.